Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-04-06
ANOTHER CHICAGO STRIKE.
Over 9 0 Carpenters Lay Down Their

over 9 600 Carpenters Lay Down Their
Kits and Strike.
CHICAGO. April 4.-The Consumers Ca
ligl t I'd Coke Company has Notified its
500 employees that they must submit to a
reduction of fifty and forty cents per day,
threatening, it is said, to use coal oil un-
less the men comply. The officials OF the
company claim to be able to make q fair
profit when paying the present wages,
$3.50 and 81 for an eight-hour day. They
wish the men to work twelve hours per day
at an ad ance of fifty and forty cents.
The use Of coal oil as fuel will dispense
with $50 or 500 employers.
This afternoon the men who are MEMBER
of the Knights of Labor assemblies met
and determined to insist upon the present
scale of hours and pay, and q
was appointed to inform the company Of
the result of the meeting.
STRIKING CARPENTERS.
Six thousand five hundred carpenters,
employed by various contractors and shop
owners throughout the city and bs,
ceased work this morning. aud building op'
erations in this county will be suspended.
The leaders of the carpenters, who after a
long struggle last summer, failed to carry
out their demand for eight hours and ali
increase of wages, have decided to renew
the contest, and think now when the build
ing enterprise is reviving and carpenters
are wanted, the time has arrived to make
their employers yield. Three months ago
the Council gave notice that at the begin
ming of April the men would demand 30
cents an hour, eight hours to constitute a
days work. Wages have been Is cents.
and the hours varied between eight and
ten. A conference to arrange a settlement
was formally requested from the employ
ers, but master carpenters have to all ap-
pearence studiously ignored the whole
movement. Yesterday
A MASS MEETING
Of carpenters was held in Battery D arm
ory. to discuss the ACCESSIBILITY of a general
strike. Over 5000 men were present. VIM
Kiver, President of the Chicago Trades As
sembly, presided. 1t was q secret meeting,
and every man of the 5000 had to present
his carpenters trade cards in order to gain
admittance. President Kiver made a
speech reviewing the situation. He said
that carpenters were the most abused men
in the building trades. They were paid the
lowest wages, while their work wal as hard
and indispensable as that of bricklayers
aAlu A1o6OuoS ~ ~ ~
much. A year ago the carpenters
TRiKE WAS A FAILURE
because their organization was weak in
numbers and totally lacked funds. Now
they were strong n capable Of redressing
Ingram. q resolution that all work cease
to-day unless their demands were granted
was read. Then arose w. H. Reilly. MEM
Der of the Knights OF Labor District As
sembly No. "a, of which Robt. Nelson,
united Labor candidate for Mayor'is Mas
ter Workman. Reilly, in a rafting speech
for the resolution, boldly told the 5000
listening men that a victory at the polls
for the Labor ticket meant also victory for
the carpenters, and urged them to do their
duty. He was enthusiastically applau ded.
WAVING THE RED FLAG.
Editor Albert Curtin, August Spies sue
cessor as editor of the Zeitung, was the
next speaker. The gist of Curtin's speech
was that the carpenters were foolish ii they
did not strike when they had such a
chance. His German hearers. he said lad
dressing them in their native %language)
should do everything in their power to de-
feat Roche, the servant OF the capitalists
and tool of temperance crahks. The Eng
lish speaking portion of the audience began
to grow FESTIVE while Curtin was speaking
in German. and cut him short with jeers
and cat calls, though the Germans ap-
plauded him vigorously. At this moment
Paul Grattkan, the Milwaukee Socialist,
appeared and applied for admission. He
showed an invitation from the German
unions to address the meeting. When his
presence was made known
A sTORM OF OBJECTIONS AROSE,
the English speaking elements protesting
against any words from him. The Ger
mans seemed outraged. but decided to
avoid discord, and Grattkan smilingly &C
quiesced. They were soothed by a speech
from Secretary Beemdery, and a motion
10 strike was then put and unanimously
with three cheers for Nelson and
the eight hour movement. The meeting
then adjourned.
About 80 out OF 300 employers have &C.
coded to the demand OF the Union.
CINCINNATI, April 4.-Nearly eleven hun
bred carpenters went out on a strike to-
day for nine hours, 90. 80 a day and eight
hours on Saturday. 1t is said the last de-
is the only one to which employers
refuse to yield.